Blower and fender.



J. W. PRITCHBTT.

BLOWER AND FENDER.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 11, 1913.

4 245 Patented Apr. 21, 1914.

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JOHN W. PRITGHETT, 0F HOLLY SPRINGS, MISSISSIPPI;

BLOWER AND FENDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 21, 1914.

Application filed April 11, 1913. Serial No. 760,502.

To all who 121,211? may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN "W. Piu'roiinr'r, citizen of the United States, residing at Holly Springs, in the county of Marshall and State of Mississippi, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Blowers and Fenders, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to attachments for fireplaces for the purpose of accelerating the draft and likewise for protecting the fire and persons approaching the fire, and has for one of its objects to provide asimply constructed device which may be folded into small space when not in use, or extended to wholly cover and protect the fire, or to partially cover the fire and thus control the draft and produce a blowing effect to any required extent.

Another object of the invention is to provide a simply constructed protecting hood which may be distended when the fire is to be shaken or the ashes removed to protect the room in which the fireplace is located.

Another object of the invention is to provide a simply constructed device having means for holding the same fully open, fully closed, or partly opened to any required degree.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in certain novel features of construction as hereinafter shown and described and then specifically pointed out in the claims, and in the drawings illustrative of the preferred embodiment of the invention.

Figure 1 is a. front elevation of a conventional fireplace with the improvement applied and in open position. Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1 showing the device in open position. Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing the improved device in closed position.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the same reference characters.

The improved device may be arranged in connection with fireplaces of various forms and sizes, but it is designed more particularly for the usual fireplace employed in parlors and living rooms and employed for heating, and for the purpose of illustration is shown applied to a conventional fireplace of this character, but it will be understood that it is not desired to limit the invention to any particular form of fireplace.

The usual fireplace to which the improved device is more particularly adapted comprises a front or arch represented conventionally at 10 and having a grate 11 and with the usual arched member 12. The improved attachment comprises a supporting member 3 rigidly connected to the face 10 of the fireplace, and a plurality of leaves 13 adapted to fold one within the other and within the stationary member 13. The members 1313 are substantially alike and are preferably in segmental form, and the members 13 are pivotally united to the supporting member 13, while the supporting member is connected in turn to the arch member 12, as represented at 14:. Any required number of the segmental members 13 may be employed, but for the purpose of illustration six of these members are shown, but it will be understood that any required number may be employed and of any required size, the sizes and number being proportioned to the size and form of the fireplace. A suflicient number of the members 13 will be employed to fully cover the fireplace when they are in distended position, as represented in Fig. 2. The upper member 13 is provided with a depending lip 15 at its forward edge while the folding members 13 except the lower one are provided with forward depending lips 16, while all of the members 13 are provided with rearward upwardly projecting lips 17. The lip 17 of the member 13 next to the member 13 engages the lip 15 of the upper member 13, while each of the lips 17 of the remaining members 13 engage respectively with the depending lips 16 of the next segmental member in advance, as represented in Fig. 2. By this means when the members 13 are all in projected posit-ion the lips 1516-17 coact to limit the outward movement, while at the same time preventing the separation of the members 13. When the members 13 are in folded position, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, the lips 16 naturally arrange themselves substantially in vertical alinement and present a smooth unbroken surface.

Pivoted at 18 to the upper and stationary member 13 is a holding member comprising an arm 19 having a depending portion 20 with the terminal of the depending portion bent slightly inwardly, as represented at 21, to engage the adjacent lip 16 and thus hold the members 13 at any desired point of elevation. Thus when it is desired to fold the members 13 in closed position, as shown in Fig. 3, the member 1920 will bear over the folded members and hold them in closed position, and when it is desired to partly open the folded members the terminal 21 of the member 19 is engaged with the nearest lip 16 and thus holds a part of the members 13 in closed position leaving the remainder extending downwardly, and by changing the position of the holding member any re quired number of the members 18 may be supported in position below the holding member. Thus the grate may be exposed to any required extent or fully covered or fully uncovered as may be required.

Each of the members 13 together with their lips 1617 are preferably constructed from a single sheet of metal of any required strength or weight.

The improved device is simple in construction, can be inexpensively manufactured and applied without material structural change to fireplaces of various sizes and forms.

Having thus described the is claimed as new is:

1. A device of the class described comprising a supporting member adapted to be attached to a fireplace, a plurality of leaves pivoted to said supporting member and foldable one within the other and beneath the supporting member, each of said leaves and the supporting member having interlapping lips extending their entire lengths and limiting the movement in one direction and preventing the passage of air when the leaves are distended, and holding means an ranged to be applied to the leaves to hold the leaves partly open or fully closed.

2. A device of theclass described comprising invention, what a supporting member adapted to be attached to a fireplace, a plurality of leaves pivoted to said supporting member and foldable one within the other and beneath the supporting member, and a holding member pivoted to the supporting member in position to engage any one of the leaves and hold them in suspended position.

3. A device of the class described comprising a supporting member adapted to be attached to a fireplace a fender comprising a plurality of leaves pivoted to said supporting member and foldable one within the other and beneath the supporting member and provided with stops operating to limit the movement of the leaves in one direction, and a holding device pivoted to the supporting member in position to engage any one of the leaves and hold the fender partly open or to engage all of the leaves and hold the fender fully open.

4. A device of the class described com prising a supporting member adapted to be attached to a fireplace, a plurality of leaves pivoted to said supporting member and foldable one within the other, and a holding member arranged to engage the leaves and hold them partly open or fully closed.

5. A device of the class described comprising a supporting member adapted to be attached to a fireplace, a plurality of leaves pivoted to said supportingmember and foldable one within the other, and a holding member arranged to engage any one of the leaves to hold them partly open or to engage all of the leaves to hold them fully closed.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN WV. PRITOHETT.

lVitnesses:

W. F. PARKER, L. B. MOSBY.

V [L. s] p Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. Q. 

